Combination moisture remover and glareshield for transparent lookout screens of moving bodies



Patented Aug. 10, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT DUTHIE, OF NEAR CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND.

COMBINATION MOISTURE REMOVER AND GLARESI-IIELD FOR TRANSPARENT LOCKOUT I SCREENS OF MOVING BODIES.

Application filed October 12-, 1925, Serial No. 62,054, and in New Zealand November 27, 1924.

This invention relates to a device designed primarily for employment upon wind-screens such as. those of motor-cars but applicable also to other forms of transparent screens such as the windows of tram or railway cars, locomotives or windows on board ship.

The outer surfaces of when exposed to the weather, to become coated with moisture due to the presence of fog or to the driving of rain or snow against such surfaces, with the result that such screens become for the time being more or less opaque.

According to a previous invention of mine there was employed upon such screens a hollow vessel comprising a mouth adapted to come in contact with the air currents produced by the motion of the vehicle or ship, and an outlet of relatively smaller area than the said mouth and arranged to deliver air, collected by the latter, against the said screen in a direction more or less parallel therewith in order that such discharge may remove the abovementioned coating from the said screen.

Accordin to my said invention also it was proposed to arrange the said device along the upper portion of the screen in order that its underside might serve also as a hood or glare-shield as frequently provided upon wind-screens to shade the same from the direct rays of the sun and thus ensure a clear look-out through such screens in bright weather.

It is the object of the present invention however to provide a device of this nature of novel and special construction whereby the same when not required for use in removing the moisture coating, may, by a simple and convenient, manipulation, be collapsed or folded together into a condition in which it will serve only as a glare-shield and present a neat and sightly appearance.

In order that the nature of the invention and its construction may be clearly understood, it will now be fully described and explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. '1 is a perspective view of a motorcar wind-screen fitted with the invention which is shown in full lines inits closed or collapsed condition, while its corresponding open or extended condition is indicated in dotted lines,

such screens are apt,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation upon a somewhat larger scaleshowing the device in its open or extended condition,

Fig. 3 is a cross section along the line III-IIL Fig. 2, and,

Fig. 4; is an end-elevation of the device in its closed condition. v

The device which is adapted to be mounted along the upper portion of a screen as 1-, comprises a pair of horizontal sides or members 2 and 3 arranged one above the other and adapted when the device is in its extended condition to serve as a moisture remover, to converge gradually from an inlet-mouth 4E constituted by the space or interval between the forward edges of the members 2 and 3, to a throat 5 at the rear portion of the device and which throat terminates in a narrow outlet 6through which the air passing through the said device is discharged against the surface of the screen 1.

According to the presentinvention one of the said horizontal members, preferably the lower member 3, is made integral with the throat portion 5, or rigidly secured thereto, while the other horizontal member 2 is connected by means'of a hinge as 7 to such throat portion to permit of such hinged member being arranged in its said converging relation to the member 3, as here shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and in dotted lines Fig. 1, or being collapsed or folded towards the other said member, as shown in F igs. 1 and i when the device is not'required for use as a moisture remover.

The construction includes also apair of members 8 and 9 adapted when the structure is in its extended position, to lie vertically and enclose the structure at its two lateral sides.

The lateral members 8 and 9 are each connected by means of one or more hinges as 10 with one of the horizontal members, preferably the member 3 as here shown, to permitof such lateral members being turned upon their said hinges into their vertical or substantially vertical positions to enclose the ends of the device when in the extended condition, or to be folded inwardly to lie in horizontal positions between the two members 2 and 3 when the latter occupy their collapsed or folded together condition as already explained.

In the preferred form of the construcone end of a spring as the lateral members will be provided :pringi as ll which tend to place and r hem in their vertical positions and taale catch means may also be, provided the inner surface of one of the horiil members to on the lateral memi and retain the latter in their said horizontal positions when the device is folded.

The hori. ontal members will also be provided with one or more springs tending to se hinged member to turn upon its gge in the direction away from its fell lo 7 in the preferred form of the construcion as here shown this is effected by pro l"ng the hinged member 2 with one or e arms as 12 each projecting downwardand having' its lower end connected with 13 the other end of which is connected with the member3.

The horizontal member 3 is preferably each of its lateral edges with a ll extending vertically towards member '2 such flanges constituting coniuations of the lateral enclosing sides of the and being arranged to lie to the r sides of the lateral members 8 and 9 L receive the latter when the device is in ts extended condition.

ihe i'neinber 2 is also preferably provided at its lateral. edges with vertically disposed flanges arranged to lie to the outer sides of and overlap the flange 14; when the device is in its folded condition and to receive and limit the outward movement of: the lateral members 8 and 9 when the device is in its extended condition.

The throat-portion will preferably be dew i-turned in order to place its outlet 6 in the required position to discharge the air downward against the surface of the screen 1. There will also preferably be provided a battle plate as 16 arranged to extend horizontally at a slight interval beneath the outlet 6 in order to deflect the air from the la 'ter against the said screen The lower horizontal side 3 will preferably be curved downward towards the mouth or to ard portion of the device as here shown to provide an appropriate undersurface for the glare-shield and the upper member 2 will also be suitable down-curved as shown to neatly overlie the member 3 when the device is in its collapsed condition.

The upper member 3 will also preferably be formed at its forward edge with a spout or channel as l? to catch and convey to the lateral sides of the device any water that may run down the. upper surface of the memher 5. r

The device will be attached to the wind-- si-r'ecn by suitable means which will preferably be such as to permit of thenangle of such device bein adjusted in relation to the screen to obtain the most favourable results when the device is employed as a glarelinlts or stays shield. in the preferred form of the con struction here shown the said means of l 1 r throat portion of the device.

Suitable means will be provided also for enali'iling' the device to beconvenient-ly retained in either its expanded or collapsed condition and for enabling such device as a whole to be adjusted upon its said hinged connection to the screen so as to extend therefrom at a desired angle.

Jo: this purpose in the preferred form of the construction, as here shown, there is provided, at each lateral end ofthe device, a innnber 20 attached to its upper .end by means of a pivot 21 to the horizontal aber 3 or its flanges 15, each of thesaid 20 being arranged to project clown- 'd for suitable distance and being; nod with a slot ext-ending longitudinal y therewith and through which slot orscrew or stud'23, attacheth as by means of a bracket 24 m the lower horizontal member 3.

Upon the screw r stud '23 is received a erg-nut or the like 25 by mean, .of which such screw may be clamped in any desired position within the slot 22. j

There is provided also a second pair of 26 adapted to connect the studs 2-? with the corresponding lateral sides of the wind-screen. For this purpose each of the said stays 28 is formed near one end thereof with a longitudinal slot Q'Y through which extends one of the studs 23, while near its other or reverse end such stay is formed with a second longitudinal slot 28 to receive a stud projecting from the side of the wind screen and provided with a. clamping nut 30. p

In operation when to serve as a glare-shield] the horizontal members 2 and 3 will be brought together by folding; upon the hinge T and the lateral me. lers 8 and 9 folded inward upon their hinges 10 so as to lie horizontally between the said members Qand 3 the device being through the outlet 6 against the su-rface of LC screen. i

the device is required I claim 1. A device of the nature indicated for attachment to a transparent screen upon a moving body and comprising a pair of horizontal side members arranged one above the other, a throat portion forming the rear termination of one of said members and having .a narrow out-let arranged to discharge air from said throat against the surface of said screen, a hinge connecting the rear edge of the other said horizontal member with said throat portion thereby to permit of said members being placed in one posit-ion in which the forward edge of one member will closely overlie the other said member and in. another position in which the said members will lie at an interval apart to provide a mouth adapted when the said body is in motion to collect air and deliver the same to the said throat portion, and means for enclosing the spaces between the said horizontal members at each of the lateral sides of the device when the said horizontal members occupy their said position at an interval apart.

2. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the said horizontal members are arranged when occupying their said position at an interval apart to converge gradually from their forward edges to the said throat.

3. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the said means for enclosing the lateral spaces between the horizontal members comprise a pair of side members each hinged to one of the said horizontal members thereby to permit of said lateral members being turned into substantially vertical positions to enclose the said spaces when the horizontal members lie apart and into horizontal positions to lie between the said horizontal members when the latter are in their other or collapsed relation.

4-. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the said means for enclosing the lateral spaces between the horizontal members comprises a pair of side members each hinged to one of the said horizontal members to permit of such lateral members being turned into substantially vertical positions when said horizontal members he apart and into horizontal positions to lie between said horizontal members when the latter are in their other or collapse-d relation and in that said later a1 members are provided with springs tending to place them in their said vertical positlons.

, 5. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the said horizontal members are provided with springs tending to carry them into the said position in which they lie apart.

6. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that each of the said horizontal members is provided at its lateral edges with flanges projecting towards the other said horizontal member.

7. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the lower of said horizontal members is down curved at its forward portion.

8. A device of the nature indicated as de fined in claim 1, characterized in that the said throat is of gradually diminishing .area to its said outlet. I

9. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the said throat is down-turned to its said outlet.

10. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that a baffle plate is provided and arranged to extend horizontally beneath the said outlet to direct the air issuing from the latter onto the surface of the screen.

11. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the upper of said horizontal members is provided at its forward edge with a channel adapted to receive any moisture that may run down the upper surface of the said member and to deliver the same at the lateral sides of the device.

12. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the said device is attached to the screen by means of a hingeable connection thereby to permit of the angle of such device being adjusted in relation to the said screen.

13. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the said horizontal members are connected by means for the purpose of retaining such members in either of their said positions.

14c. A device of the nature indicated as defined in claim 1 characterized in that one of the said horizontal members is provided at each of its lateral sides with a link having a longitudinal slot where-in is received a screw connected with the other horizontal member and adapted to clamp the said link thereby to retain the said member in each of their said positions.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ROBERT DUTHIE. 

